A/N: Apologizing in advance because the first part of this chapter is really just heartbreaking. I had to type it in parts (which explains why it took longer for me to update. My heart couldn't take it okay) because it was painful to write. But alas, it is needed in the later (possibly in the next chapter) part of the story so on with it! Also, this chapter is quite short because I only wanted it to be a bit of a backstory for Sasuke. It also sort of explains why he's so against having feelings for someone, regardless of the gender. *heart breaks a little* But my heart grows bigger in size for every follow/favorite. I wonder how big it'll get when I finally hear from you guys. Much love!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way. This IS fanfiction.

'I really do like Naruto.'

Sasuke slumped on his bed. He buried his face on his pillow for a minute and when he could no longer breathe, he came up for air. He did this for a few times before his head started pounding. He had a self-induced migraine. But really, that was the least of his problems. The whole afternoon, during and after all of his classes, even on his way home, he had only one thought. It should be weird how a mere five words could occupy a guy's brain for longer than five hours.

When he began to think again of those five words, his chest started to tighten. There was something there, gripping his heart, making it hard for him to breathe. He couldn't quite place what it was. Was it anger? No. Sadness? Not really. Disappointment? At what? No, it was none of these. Was it... fear? Sasuke's heart thumped louder. 'I have nothing to fear.' Sasuke told himself as he covered his eyes with his arm.

...

Sasuke was playing in their garden. He was about five years old. Then, seeing his mother come out the backdoor, he ran to her. With her gentle voice, she said to him, "My dearest Sasuke. I love you so much. I will never leave you." Sasuke could see his mother smile at him. It was his favorite smile in the whole world. It was full of warmth, and made him feel very much loved. "Do you promise that, mother?" Sasuke asked earnestly. "Of course, my dear." His mother smiled again, and hugged him. He relished the feeling of her arms enfolding him. It was the safest place in the world.

Then, the scene changed. It was to a year later. His parents had a dinner party to go to; it was for his father's work. "Sasuke, look after the house, okay? Dinner's in the fridge, just heat it up. Eat together with your brother. We'll be back before midnight. Love you!" Sasuke's mom kissed Sasuke on the forehead. "But moooom, do you really have to go?" Little Sasuke whined. "Yes, dear. You know it's for your father's work. Don't worry, we'll be back so soon you won't even notice we left." His mom winked at him. Sasuke slumped his shoulders and hung his head low. He really didn't want them to leave; it was movie night, after all. "Just watch a movie with your brother, okay? We're sorry to miss movie night but we'll make it up to you next time." Sasuke's mother hugged him tightly and the little boy snuggled up to his mom. He loved her hugs. "Itachi, look after your brother, okay? No fighting. Have dinner together, and watch a movie. It's Sasuke's choice tonight." Their mother said to Itachi and winked at Sasuke at the last part. "Love you both!" She kissed Itachi on the cheek and made her way to the door. "Bye Mom! Bye Dad! Love yooou!" The little boy waved at the car from their door. It started to rain a bit, but the Sasuke wasn't worried much as he contemplated on what movie he'll choose to watch with 'Tachi.

Little Sasuke woke up to the blaring police sirens outside their house. It was very dark outside, and thunder was clapping. He got a little scared. "'Tachi?" He looked for his older brother. The older raven was at their door, looking sullen. He was talking to a policeman. "'Tachi, what's going on?" The little boy rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. When his older brother turned around, he saw that there were tears coming down Itachi's face. Itachi walked to him and hugged him tight. "Sasuke, Mom and Dad aren't coming home tonight." He said in a low, shaking voice. "Huh? What do you mean? Are they going to be late?" Sasuke asked curiously, not understanding what his older brother said. Itachi shook his head and hugged him tighter. Sasuke noticed that his brother was trembling, and his hands were cold.

After that night, everything was a blur. The funeral, the court meetings, the relatives- everything. All he could here were the words his brother repeated to him, "It's going to be okay, Sasuke. I'll take care of you now."

Their parents had died in an accident that rainy night. They never made it to that dinner, never made it back home, and never got to watch that movie with little Sasuke.

...

Sasuke woke up to the wet tears streaming down his face. He'd dreamt of his parents. 'Why now? It's been years since I last dreamt of them.' The tears just kept on running down his cheeks. His heart hurt. A lot. During the course of his everyday life, he'd forgotten this pain. He had been quite young when it happened, but the pain stayed with him for years. True, Itachi had been there to care for him every step of the way, practically raising him. But the pain of losing their parents took a toll on Sasuke's heart.

"Little brother?" Itachi knocked, then opened the door. Seeing Sasuke's face, the older raven's face changed to a look of worry. "What's wrong?" Itachi sat down on the bed beside Sasuke. "It-It's nothing." Sasuke wiped his tears away. "It's not nothing. What happened?" Itachi asked, frowning. "I dreamt of Mom and Dad." Sasuke answered softly, his voice turning into a whisper. Itachi gasped slightly, and his expression softened. He hugged his little brother. "You know that whatever's going on in your life, you can tell me about it, right?" He told Sasuke, hugging the boy tighter. The little not-so-little Uchiha nodded. "But I won't force it out of you. If you need time and space for yourself, I'll give it to you. Just know that I'll always be here, ready to listen. Okay, Sasuke?" Itachi continued. Again, Sasuke nodded. He knows that Itachi loved to tease him but when it really matters, his older brother is always there for him, no matter what. He hugged Itachi back and smiled a small smile. "Thanks, 'Tachi." Itachi chuckled softly. "You know you haven't called me that since you were still small? Ever since you started growing up you've been calling me 'Itachi' and it's so not cute." The older brother pouted. Sasuke laughed out loud, for the first time in a long time. Itachi just laughed with him. "Now, what were you going to tell me before you went into my room without really my permission?" Sasuke raised his eyebrow at his older brother. "I was going to wake you up for dinner. I made your favorite: tomato soup." Itachi smiled softly at his brother. Sasuke returned the smile, and started to get up. "All right then. Let's go have dinner together, as we promised Mom."

The Next Day

Sasuke woke up and got out of bed as usual. He felt a small sting in his eyes. He looked at a mirror and saw that they were a bit swollen. 'Probably because of that dream last night.' Sasuke sighed and went for the kitchen. 'It'll probably go back to normal if I put some ice on it.' After doing that and waiting a couple of minutes, the swell subsided. Luckily, his brother was still asleep, so he had the kitchen all to himself. 'Hmm. Maybe I should make breakfast for a change.' Sasuke thought to himself. It was still early anyways; he had time to waste before he needed to get ready for school.

The smell of something burning woke Itachi up. He rushed out of his room, immediately and simultaneously looking for Sasuke and the source of the burning smell. He found both in the kitchen. The look of worry in his face was quickly replaced by a look of amusement. He saw his little brother looking at something black- toast, probably- with his face all scrunched up. "There are other ways to wake me up, you know." Itachi chuckled, announcing his presence. His little brother looked up, surprise and something else on his face. Was it embarrassment? "What in the world are you doing, little brother?" Itachi walked to Sasuke. Sasuke murmured something along the lines of "trying to make breakfast" or something. The older Uchiha chuckled again. "Oh Sasuke. You know despite your good looks and perfect grades, you're not really much use in the kitchen." Sasuke just blushed further at his brother's comment. "I-I was just trying to d-do something nice for you. But if you don't want it then fine, y-you stupid big brother." Sasuke was as red as a tomato now. Itachi chuckled again and smiled at Sasuke. "After all this time, why did you decide to do that now?" The older asked, curiosity clear on his face. "It's because you've always done it for years. I wanted to do something for you for a change." Sasuke answered softly, looking at the ground. He didn't expect to really burn the stuff. He thought making breakfast was easy. "Thank you, Sasuke." The younger Uchiha looked up to see his brother smiling lovingly at him. He couldn't help smiling himself. "Now go and get ready for school before you become late. I'll handle things er, here." The older added. Not needing to be told twice, Sasuke got ready for school.

When he got down again, breakfast was ready, properly. He got some toast, thanked his brother for the food, and went on his way to school. Despite the early morning breakfast fiasco, he was feeling quite good today.

Due to his realization yesterday, he had more or less come to terms with his feelings for Naruto. After last night's dinner with his brother, he went back to his room to think some more and clear his head.

He knew now what the feeling he had was after realizing that he liked the blonde boy. It was fear. The pain that he felt when he lost his parents was similar to the pain that he felt during some instances when he was near Naruto. The pain of being left. He feared that if he let his feelings for Naruto grow, there was a greater chance for him to feel that pain again. Heck, even now, when he was still denying those feelings, he felt that pain whenever he would start to get weird.

Naruto broke the front that he had built from his parents' death. The front that let him act stoically and feel nothing (aside from the usual feelings of annoyance). It was the front that distanced himself from making connections with other people. The front that protected him from that terrible pain.

In the three days that he had met Naruto, the blonde classmate changed him far greater than either of them had known. But the question is, is that where these feelings were headed? Back to that painful place? Could he go through that pain all over again?

Was Naruto worth it?

A/N: So yeah, there's no appearance of any other characters here aside from the Uchihas. But at least now you know why Sasuke acts like that. Not to mention you got to see his softer side too. Not the usual cold bastard. The next chapter would definitely be lighter than this chapter! Thanks for reading!